jalapeno — Ma Whats For Dinner?

Secret Recipe Club – Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Taquitos

April 23, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 13 Comments

Oh I’m so excited.

I joined a club…

An awesome club.

I’m a joiner…

What can I say.

Today is my first reveal as a full fledged member of

The Secret Recipe Club

And this month I got assigned to pick a recipe to try from the wonderful

Carries Sweet Life

And there was so much to choose from!

I finally settled on a true crowd pleaser.

And even with my recipe OCD I hardly changed a thing!

Check out these baked taquitos that pretty much brought the house down!

Carries Sweet Life Chicken Bacon and Ranch Taquitos

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
12 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken I used a rotisserie chicken
1/2 packet dry Ranch Dressing mix
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
3-4 Tablespoons green onion, chopped
20 (6-inch) whole wheat or flour tortillas
Salt
Non-stick cooking spray
bacon drippings

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Brown your bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.

Toss in diced jalapeno and scallions into your bacon drippings and quickly saute until slightly soft. Remove from drippings…be sure to keep the grease!

In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, chicken, bacon, cheese, jalapeno and green onions.

Fold in your ranch mix.

Mix well.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into a tortilla and roll it up.

Place taquito seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat until you are out of chicken.

Brush tops of taquitos with the reserved bacon drippings and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them in case you have to run upstairs to say hand out time outs to 3 year olds who hit their brothers in the face with a Wii remote…just saying.

Serve these bad boys up with ranch dressing or salsa!

Delish!

Thanks Carrie…these are going into permanent rotation!

Filed Under: Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes, Lunch Ideas For Kids, Snacks Tagged With: bacon, chicken, cook with your kids, Hidden Valley Ranch, jalapeno, ranch, scallions, Secret Recipe Club

Fiesta Week – Grilled Fiesta Tequila Chicken

July 22, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 4 Comments

Need some healthy grilled chicken to go along with all this fiesta food!

Check out one of our absolute favorite ways to spice up the grill.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 whole chicken, cut up

1/2 cup of good tequila, love me some tequila

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

2 limes, juiced

2 oranges, juiced

2 lemons, juiced

1/2 cup pineapple juice

2 jalapenos, diced

4 cloves of Garlic, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 T cumin

1 t chili powder

1 t paprika

S&P

Cayenne Pepper to taste (Optional)

WHAT TO DO:

Grab your chicken, rinse and pat it dry. Toss the cleaned chicken into a large plastic ziploc bag.

Grab a big bowl and pour the tequila, olive oil, juices, jalapeno, cilantro, spices and S&P. Mix well.

Pour your marinade over the chicken in the bag. I also throw my squeezed limes, oranges and lemons, in with the chicken.

Place in the fridge and let marinate for at least 1 hour, but I let it go overnight.

Heat your grill up good and high. Spray with cooking spray to keep chicken from sticking.

Grill chicken until cooked through and juices run clear and the internal temperature hits 170. Takes a good 15-20 minutes or so for the big breasts and thighs. Less time for the wings and legs.

dinner Fiesta Week Grilled Fiesta Tequila Chicken

Grab a margarita and it’s dinner time!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: chicken, cilantro, fiesta, grilled chicken, grilling chicken, jalapeno, mexican food, tequila

Fiesta Week – Ole Taco Casserole

July 20, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 10 Comments

My attempts to liven up

Fitz Family Taco Night continue…

I decided to try another taco casserole.

But I don’t like my chips mushy or my veggies warm in any way.

Sooooo….

I kept ‘em separate.

Perfect combo of crunchy chips…

Hot and spicy filling….

Cool and crisp veggies.

Can I get an ole???

Ole Taco Casserole

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 lb gound beef

1 packet taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

1 onion chopped

1 can low fat refried beans

1 can black beans

2 cups low fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup Spikes Santa Fe Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 large bad tortilla chips

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

2 tomatoes chopped

1/2 red onion chopped

1 can sliced olives

1 avacado chopped

jalapeno slices

sour cream

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When skillet gets hot, add beef and brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add in onions and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes.

Meanwhile in a 13×9 inch baking pan, spread our refried beans in an even layer on the bottom. Top with 1 cup black bean and corn salsa, then a layer of black beans.

Once meat has browned, add in taco seasoning and water. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add meat on top of the black bean layer.

Top with 1 1/2 cups cheese and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

While the casserole is baking assemble your plates.

Spread out some chips as the bottom layer.

Top with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and remaining cheese.

Scoop a dollop of meat on your fixings and top with sour cream and jalapeno.

Tell me how you like this version….

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Dinners on a Dime, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: Avocado, budget meals, cheese, dinners on a dime, ground beef, jalapeno, lettuce, sour cream, taco, taco casserole, tomato

BBQ Chicken Pizza

August 20, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 27 Comments

Move over CPK! This one is a keeper.

It’s quick, easy, and sooooo delicious.

Don’t feel like calling out for pizza tonight?

Stay in and make this one yourself.

Keegan told me that this was his best dinner ever.

Give it a try and let me know if your kids think so as well.

Serves: 8 Prep time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 T olive oil, divided

S&P

4 slices bacon chopped

1/2 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 t dried thyme

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup ketchup

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 t dried mustard

1 T molasses

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 store bought pizza dough

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced thin

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 shallot sliced thin

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle your chicken with 1/2 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes at 425. Meanwhile get started on your BBQ sauce.

In a medium saucepan heat remaining 1/2 T of olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel. Set aside.

Pour off all but 1 T of bacon fat. Add in your onions and allow to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute or two. Season with salt and pepper and thyme. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar being sure to scrap up all the good browned bits on the bottom.

Next add in your ketchup, tomato sauce, mustard, molasses, and Worcestershire sauce. Turn the sauce down and allow to simmer until your chicken is ready.

Once the chicken is done remove it from the oven and slice it thinly. Lay out your pizza dough and stretch it to fit a baking sheet. Spread a think layer of sauce leaving a one inch border around the dough. Arrange your chicken neatly around the pizza dough. Then arrange jalapeno (I only put this on half so you get a half spicy half wimpy pizza) and shallots evenly around the dough. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Top with plenty of cheese and bake at 425 for 17-19 minutes. Top with cooked bacon and more cilantro if desired. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: bacon, BBQ sauce, chicken, dried mustard, garlic, jalapeno, ketchup, molasses, mozzarella cheese, pizza dough, shallots

Ode to the Sunset Grill – Chunky Chicken Nachos

August 11, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 18 Comments

Back in the olden days when I was just a young pup of about 19, I landed my first waitressing gig.

It was at a great little place in Boston called the Sunset Grill & Tap.

They were famous for their hamburgers…

their beer (this was back before the whole microbrew craze and we were famous for having over 100 beers on tap and over 400 more in bottles – oh and being only 19 I didn’t know what any of them tasted like, of course, no really…)

and their NACHOS!

The nachos…oh the nachos…the nachos were amazing…

First off, the nachos are enormous! I mean huge. 4 college football players would have issues finishing the plate.

And they were topped with yummy goodness…

Cheddar Cheese, Salsa, Ground Beef, Tomatoes, Sour Cream, Lettuce, Olives, all on top of tri color corn chip delight.

Here, I’ll show you…

That’s Brady, a few years back, sitting behind a plate of Sunset’s nachos. Doesn’t he look like Cooper now? Creepy huh?

That’s me and Keegan on that same visit to Sunset, and yes, I’m enjoying one of those beers I never got to try…just go with me on this one.

So I was in Boston last weekend and didn’t make it to the Sunset for my favorite nachos so I decided to whip up a plate of these at home. I made mine out of ground chicken to lighten things up a bit, well as much as you can lighten up nachos that is…Let me first apologize for these pics. I broke my camera so I had to take these with my iPhone…The pics may be slightly sad but the nachos were awesome. I though the hubs was going to cry…he may have shed a tear he liked them so much.

Serves 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes

1 lb ground chicken

1 packet taco mix

3/4 cup water

large bag of tortilla chips

2 cups of cheddar cheese

1 tomato chopped

1 small red onion chopped

1 avacado chopped

4 T chopped cilantro

1 head of iceberg lettuce, sliced

chopped olives

sour cream

sliced jalapenos

Preheat your oven’s broiler. In a large skillet brown your chicken over medium high heat. When it’s cooked through season with taco mix and 3/4 cup water. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Place a single layer of tortilla chips on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with half of your cheese. Place under the broiler for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and top with more chips, chicken mixture and remaining cheese. Place back under the broiler for another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer to a serving dish. Top with lettuce, tomato, olives, avacado, cilantro, onions, jalapeno, and sour cream. Serve ‘em up hot and gooey! I like to add tobasco to mine too.

Do you have a favorite restaurant dish that you’d like to recreate?

Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: appetizer, avacado, beer, Boston, cheddar cheese, cilantro, jalapeno, lettuce, nachos, red onion, sunset grill, tomato, tortilla chips, waitressing

Apricot Cedar Roasted Salmon

June 23, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 33 Comments

Some of you are new here so let me just get this out in the open…I am a Food Network freak. All three of my kids grew up on it (ha, grew up like they’re 20 or something, Keegan is only 5) but they all love it too. I think that Keegan’s first word was not mama, but Rachael. It’s always on in the background and I’ve pretty much seen every episode they’ve produced in the last 5 years. That’s honestly why I don’t watch as much anymore…there are only so many times you can watch Paula make shrimp and grits.

People always ask me where I get my recipes. Many are dishes I’ve seen on the Food Network then put my own spin on. You know me, I can’t follow a recipe to save my life! I get the general gist of how something is made then I’m off and running, experimenting, tinkering, and embellishing…it’s sort of like scrapbooking, with food!

Anyway I was always curious as to what those cedar planks were all about in the grocery store and then I saw Guy Fieri whip up a salmon dish with them. This is my take on his Johnny Garlic’s cedar salmon. It’s easy, delicious, and fast. Make it for company, they’ll think you’re a 5 star chef. It’s got a big, TA-DA factor!

2 T canola oil

2 jalapenos, sliced into rings

1 onion sliced thin

1 T garlic, minced

1/2 cup tequila

1/4 cup whole-grain mustard

1 cup apricot preserves

1 lime zested

1 large cedar plank

1 large salmon fillet

S&P

Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small saute pan over medium heat, heat oil. When hot, add jalapenos and onions and saute until soft. Add garlic, and saute for an additional minute or so. Deglaze with tequila. Next add mustard and apricot preserves and bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes and let completely cool.

Place parchment paper on plank, add salmon, season with S&P. Heap cooled apricot mixture on top of salmon. Place cedar plank on gas burner. When plank has begun to smoke, place into preheated oven. Slide a baking sheet onto the rack below cedar plank in case the apricot mixture drips…it’s tough to clean off your oven!!

Cook salmon until medium-rare; remove from oven and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes until serving. Garnish with lime zest.

I apologize for the ugly pictures. My camera is acting up and this is the only shot that came out. Ugly plating and all…but it was still mighty tasty!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: apricot, cedar plank, company meal, fish, garlic, jalapeno, mustard, salmon, tequila

Secret Recipe Club – Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Taquitos

Fiesta Week – Grilled Fiesta Tequila Chicken

Fiesta Week – Ole Taco Casserole

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ode to the Sunset Grill – Chunky Chicken Nachos

Apricot Cedar Roasted Salmon

Featured Cooking With Kids Videos

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Secret Recipe Club – Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Taquitos

Fiesta Week – Grilled Fiesta Tequila Chicken

Fiesta Week – Ole Taco Casserole

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ode to the Sunset Grill – Chunky Chicken Nachos

Apricot Cedar Roasted Salmon

Featured Cooking With Kids Videos

Join Our Mailing List

Find us on Facebook

Connect With Ma

Find A Local Farmer’s Market

Favorite Ingredients

Ma’s Causes

Ma In The Press